The Mean Reds
by Who needs coordination anyways
Summary: “So what if her best friend vanished into thin air? So what if her boyfriend was having strong enough mood swings to make her want to throw Midol at him.” BxC one-shot. Post-Serena flounce to Connecticut. Because we all know Blair is Holly Golightly.


A/N: I know I should be working on Training Wheels, the next chapter is almost ready by the way, but there's nothing I can do. These things pop into my brain and demand to be written. Plus I just watched Breakfast and Tiffany's and couldn't help myself.

* * *

Blair threw back another drink as she forced a laugh.

Kati encouraged by the response, kept telling the story, oblivious to Blair's inattention.

It had been a week now. One week since Serena had left and not a word for her.

That thought forced another drink down her throat and formed tears in her eyes.

As if that wasn't enough, Nate was showing heavy bipolar tendencies.

She didn't know how to handle what was happening but she couldn't act like this was bothering her. So what if her best friend vanished into thin air? So what if her boyfriend was having strong enough mood swings to make her want to throw Midol at him.

If Serena was there she would have encouraged Blair to go and do it. The tears brimmed and she stood up quickly.

Blair excused herself and walked out of the room, waiting until she rounded the corner before breaking into a run. She stumbled over her heels and fell to the ground, a sob broke from her throat as she ripped the shoes off of her feet and stood back up.

Blair heard the door open and the noise and laughter leak from the room. How could they enjoy themselves when Blair felt like her heart was shattering.

Serena was gone. Nate was distant. Her father was mysteriously absent. Her mother was not so mysteriously absent but absent, just the same.

A hand lightly wrapping around her elbow made Blair jerk around, trying to hurriedly wipe away her tears, "I was just coming back, my mom texted me, she's in Madrid and..."

The familiar scent beside her made her trail off and raise her eyes to his, "What are you doing out here when there are girls begging to be violated?"

Chuck shook his head as led her further down the hall, "Nice try Waldorf, but I know how you work."

She raised her eyebrows, "Oh really, and how is that?"

He took her shoes from her and steadied her as she swayed; he had been watching how much she was drinking.

Nate was too immersed in his own self pity to take care of her so Chuck felt it was his duty to make sure she didn't drink herself into oblivion.

It wasn't because she was always so kindhearted and welcoming and he hated to admit it but he was guilty.

He could tell her why Serena was gone but he wasn't sure which was worse, her feelings of betrayal by Serena's desertion or the truth.

Chuck thought he had destroyed any vestiges of his conscience but somehow there were still remains. "When you're upset you push everyone away by pissing them off. I do it too."

Blair wanted to deny his observation but it was the truth so she glowered and kept walking, "If I want a psycho-analysis I would go to a shrink. Don't you have something better to do?"

He swung Blair's shoes around his thumb while giving her his trademark smirk, "Nothing at all."

She turned her face away but still kept walking by his side, "Did I tell you how divinely and utterly happy I am?"

Chuck stopped walking to look at her. Of course she would drunkenly quote Holly Golightly.

He glanced back down the hall and picked up his phone, dialing Nate as he grabbed Blair's arm to stop her from stealing the floral arrangement.

"Nathaniel, I just wanted to let you know your girlfriend is in pretty bad shape." He paused as Nate mumbled something back, "No, don't worry about it; I can get her home if you want."

He didn't even need to hear the response, Nate may be his best friend but he didn't feel to unkind in saying that he wasn't a very complex individual.

Blair was at the bottom of his priorities, she always had been. Serena always shone brighter to him and now was no exception, even when she was out of the picture.

Chuck put his arm around Blair's waist as she slumped to the side, "Is Natie taking me home?"

He pushed the button for the elevator and tugged her inside with him shaking his head, "No, I am, is that acceptable Waldorf?"

She looked up at him with her eyes half open; Blair never had been able to hold down alcohol, "Yes, actually it is thanks for asking. Nate's been grumpy lately, I've been thinking about giving him a big bottle of Midol."

Chuck laughed loudly as the elevator doors re-opened, "That's not a bad idea."

They had almost made it outside when he caught sight of a camera pointed at them.

He turned Blair's head closer into his chest so it wasn't obvious she was drunk and pushed open the doors.

As long as Nate knew he was helping Blair he didn't care what anyone else thought. Hailing a cab Chuck carefully helped Blair inside before giving his directions to the driver.

His limo would have been much more sanitary but it defeated the purpose of his side trip.

Chuck tossed the fare to the cabbie once they reached their destination and tugged Blair out of the car with him.

She squinted as she looked around, "I don't live here."

He rolled his eyes and turned her towards the building they were in front of.

Blair's eyes widened as she realized where they were and she turned to him, "We're at Tiffany's!"

He shrugged in response and she grabbed for his hand. Tugging him down she sat cross-legged on the side-walk, in her designer dress, shoeless, with a smile on her face.

Chuck sat beside her, only comforted by the fact that she would never remember this in the morning.

The reality that he had watched the movie so often was embarrassing enough, but that he had actually brought Blair to Tiffany's, knowing that she was upset?

If spending this much time with Blair gave him a conscience he was worried he'd end up working at a local soup kitchen under her influence for college volunteer hours.

Blair fumbled for something in her pocket and Chuck looked over to see her holding a camera.

She held it up for him to see as she flipped through pictures she had already taken. Most were of her and Serena.

It was as he was gazing up at Tiffany's wondering why the appearance of a building had the effect to calm anyone down that Blair set her camera and snapped a picture.

He grabbed it immediately to erase any proof that he had the ability to care for someone other than himself when he saw the picture.

The reflection of the Tiffany's sign glinted though the dark but it was the sight of him with Blair that made Chuck stare. Their hands were entwined and it looked so surreal.

They looked happy.

Both of them had smiles on their faces and the fact that Blair Waldorf was smiling while sitting in a filthy sidewalk said something.

He handed the camera back, unable to delete the picture.

* * *

The next morning Blair rolled over pressing her face into the pillow while groaning. 

Her head was pounding, her throat was killing her and she could tell she was still wearing her clothes from last night. She struggled to remember what had happened last night.

After showering she picked up her phone to call Nate when she saw a message from Gossip Girl.

Blair opened it to see a picture of herself with Chuck's arm wrapped around her and her face buried in his shoulder.

She nearly went into panic at how close she was standing to him. Had anything happened?

Even when drunk Blair knew she would never cheat on Nate so what _had_ happened then?

She picked up her dress to examine it, as if she was a bloodhound and the scent would trigger a lead. As she inspected her shoes Blair noticed her camera lying next to her tights and picked it up.

As the screen light up she saw the most recent picture and froze.

Bits and pieces began to come back, Chuck twirling her shoes around, taking a cab, sitting outside of Tiffany's.

She sighed in relief as she put back together what she had done last night.

Blair framed the picture.

She kept it on a high shelf so she could look at it when she wanted to but still keep it out of view from anyone in her room. She had thought no one was there for her when she was breaking but now she knew she had Chuck.

He was her own personal, flesh and blood version of Tiffany's, available at her convenience.

* * *

Nate eventually spotted the picture; he didn't realize the importance of the tiny silver frame. 

Blair's room was almost always in perfect arrangement so when she excused herself to the bathroom once and he noticed a skewed picture frame he was curious.

When he pulled it down he saw his girlfriend and his best friend, hands clasped, in front of a store. He frowned as he looked at it and more details became apparent.

She was always so meticulous and yet there she was, dress carelessly hiked to her knees, wearing no shoes and sitting on the grimy cement.

He put it back and never mentioned it to her or Chuck.

He found it ironic that it was after he found out that Blair lost her virginity to Chuck that he suddenly knew which store it was that was in the picture. Not that he would admit it aloud but it made sense, Chuck and Blair.

Chuck had always known her more than him, spent far more time with her, understood her better than he did, went out of his way to make time for her.

Finally Nate understood why Blair could smile so brightly when she was sitting on a germ covered, low-rate slab of concrete.

She didn't need Tiffany's when she had Chuck.

* * *

A/N: Slightly less fluffy than my others, right? Oh who am I kidding. But review please! And I haven't mentioned this yet, being the thoughtless person I am. I want to thank everyone who has reviewed on my stories and if I wasn't such a lazy bumpkin I would have thanked you earlier. Your reviews make me literally bounce in my seat while pointing at the screen and shriek at how nice everyone is. Now, I have to go do my awaiting homework...Chuck/Blair is really not very conducive to my education. 


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